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64 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, April 22, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend September 17, 2003 Ashland�s Kate Morris, left, and Erika Boehnke soar above the net for a block Tuesday. Grizz throws a block party Late rally helps Ashland overcome Roseburg in pivotal Southern Oregon Conference tilt By JOE ZAVALA for the Mail Tribune ASHLAND — It took the heroics of a sophomore backup and a clutch Game 5 sprint, but the Ashland High volleyball team ducked what would have been a devastating defeat Tuesday. Riding the wave of sophomore setter Lindsey Stone’s coming out party, the Grizzlies scored 13 of the last 19 points to finally oust Roseburg, 25-15, 25-27, 25-19, 19-25, 15-8, at North Mountain gym. Stone finished with seven digs and 11 key assists to help Ashland crush an upset bid that would have put the Grizzlies in an early Southern Oregon Conference hole. Instead, Ashland improved to 3-1 in SOC play and handed the Indians their first league loss in four matches. Advertisement "We looked like U of O don’t we, with our quarterbacks," cracked Ashland head coach Josh Rohlfing. Fittingly, Stone’s fifth and final assist of the fifth game clinched the match. The perfect finger touch set up senior hitter Chelsea Van Lehn, who slammed the ball through the heart of the Indian defense untouched. "Being (my) first year on varsity, it’s kind of intimidating to go out, but having such a great group of girls to be with (helps)," Stone said. "The second I step on the court, I know I’m going to be OK because I have all the other girls lifting me up and pumping me up. I was feeling (the pressure) when I went up to the sub line, but after that I was good." Ashland senior hitter Corey Van Landingham garnered a match-high 16 kills on 48 attempts, four aces and a team-high 21 digs. Grizz senior outside Chey Hale had seven kills, 18 digs and three aces, and Van Lehn finished with 11 kills on 36 attempts, three aces, 12 digs and two solo blocks. Also for the Grizzlies, senior middle Kristina Voskes had three kills, two aces and 12 digs. Roseburg was led by 6-foot-2 senior middle Katie Fuller, who had 13 kills and 14 blocks. Senior setter Lindsy Bartholomew dished out 24 assists, and senior defensive specialist Annie Palm chipped in 14 digs. Stone entered the match in Game 3 in place of senior starter Kate Morris, who had 29 assists and five digs. The move gave Ashland a different look, which was all Rohlfing said he was looking for. "I feel like when I put a setter in a game, it’s going to change the rhythm for our team and change the rhythm against the other team," Rohlfing said. "It changes our offense. There’s a different thought process out there, we’re getting something new. Lindsey’s more of an aggressive setter in terms of her own game, and I feel like that helps us at times." The move paid immediate dividends. The Grizzlies won seven of the next nine points to take a 23-15 lead before Roseburg staged a late rally that fell short. In Game 4, Roseburg used a 5-0 spurt to go up 16-11 and never led by less than four the rest of the way. That set up a pressure-packed Game 5 that could go a long way toward determining playoff positioning later in the season. The Grizzlies took control early, scoring three straight on three consecutive kills by Hale, Van Lehn and Van Landingham — the latter two set up by Stone — to seize a 5-2 lead. They sustained that two-point lead until three straight Roseburg miscues resulted in a 10-5 Ashland lead. The Grizzlies rode that wave of momentum through another late surge, highlighted by a Stone-to-Hale hookup that cut through Roseburg’s huge block and gave Ashland a 12-6 lead. "It was their ball handling," Roseburg coach Bruce Myers said. "Their ball handling was very, very good, and they were able to run all their options, where we didn’t pass as well as we could have, so that limited our options." Ashland went on a 16-7 run to easily run away in Game 1. Roseburg responded by pulling out the closest game of the match — a 52-point marathon Game 2 that saw Ashland fight off two game points before finally succumbing. The game was a microcosm of the match — a back-and-forth struggle between two of the SOC’s best. "It’s huge," Hale said. "It would have been tough (to lose), but I think we were ready for this win. We were definitely ready for it." Joe Zavala is sports editor of the Ashland Daily Tidings. Reach him at 482-3456. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! 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